But the much bigger foe wards off the weapon of the baroness, known in medieval circles as Leaina de Gaeta, and instead slams his own sword into her armored side, bruising ribs, but otherwise causing little damage.

The combatants, colorful wood and leather shields raised against possible attack, briefly move away from each other, measure their stance and re-enter battle.

A short distance away, the cheers of children overcome the sounds of swords clashing — a Little League softball player has hit a home run on one of three diamonds at Appleton's Memorial Park.

A thousand years separate the cultures of sword and softball bat swingers, and the baroness, also known as Jennifer Picard, a resident of Appleton, is happy the two can coexist.

Picard is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a group that studies the Middle Ages and tries to recreate aspects of the time, including practicing armored combat.

"I'm a history buff who studies and learns how people lived in the past. This way you not only read a text book, but actually do what people might have done in the Middle Ages," said Picard as she removed her helmet and long, dark hair spilled across the layered metal plate protecting her shoulders.

Up to 50 sword-toting Fox Valley residents gather at Memorial Park on weekends when the weather is nice and practice their chosen hobby.

The swords are not outfitted with metal blades, but rather lengths of rattan, a bamboo-like material that mimics the weight of a real sword.

"We actually hit each other, but we do wear armor to protect ourselves," Picard said. "It's kind of like a martial art. Some people are better at it than others. It takes real skill. When we practice, it's not choreographed like it would be at, say a Renaissance fair. It's actual combat."

The battle dress is real and as close as possible to that made in the times of the fabled Knights of Shining Armor in the 11th century.

"You can purchase armor on the Internet, but I made my armor with the help of friends," Picard said.

The armor can be simple, like Picard's thigh protectors made of leather sheets covered with strips of metal riveted to the material, or complex like the swatch of chain mail, thousands of interlocking metal rings, protecting her opponent's neck.

Picard said members of the group, who also are dedicated to educating the public about Medieval culture, like to take their show to schools.

"The kids love it," Picard said. "We show them what we do, let them try on the armor and give them a little hands-on introduction to history."